Trawling gear



y 1927' 4. F. H. TEMPLER TRAWLING GEAR Filgd'April '20.. 1925 Irma.

Patented July 12, 1927.

JOHN FRANCIS HARVEY TEMPLER, 0F EALING, LONDON, ENGLAND.

TRAWLING GEAR.

Application filed April 20, 1925, Serial No. 24,649, and in Great Britain April 29, 1924.

The invention relates to trawling gear and particularly to the otter boards used with certain types of such gear for keeping the mouth of the net open laterally during trawling.

The main objects of the present invention are to improve the efficiency of and simplify such trawling gears.

lVith these objects I The invention consists in the improve ments in otter boards hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which are of a diagrammatic nature 2- Figure 1 shows a side elevation of one form of board according to the present in vention,

Figure 2 being an end elevation and Figure 3 a plan;

Figure 4 shows a diagrammatic plan view of a straight-line form of board having a salient angle.

In carrying the invention into effect according to one form, (see Figures'l and 3) the surfaces of the otter board, A, apart from those portions near the edges, take aform which may be considered as swept out by a straight line moving parallel to itself along, and at right angles to a plane containing, the flat curves (see Figure 3% determining the cross section of the boa-rt the surface, a, being convex from leading edge to rear edge and the other surface being convex in front and having a concavity, Z), in the region of the tail.

As shown in Figure 2, the upper and lower edges of the board on the side, a, are preferably rounded off at a and a respectively.

If such a board isarranged with its generating lines vertical and its convex or more convex side, a. forward, a single point can be found for the position of the bracket, 0, to which the towing warp, (l, and net rope, al are attached, such that the board can be towed through the water in a condition of stable equilibrium, while tending by Virtueof the oblique position it assumes to move laterally so as to keep open the mouth of the netas desired.

It is important in this connection that the ropes, d and d should be in contacting association with the board at only the single point of attachment, so that the freedom of movement of the board is in no way restrained.

tuberant form of the forward surface may in some cases be obtained by constructing each board, see Figure 4. with two faces, h, i, set at an obtuse angle to one another with the rear end curved as shown so as to form a rough approximation to a convex form, the surfaces of such parts consisting of vertically disposed planes. Vith such a form of board, the towing warp, (l, and net rope, (P, are preferably attached to a point on the salient angle as indicated.

As seen in Figures 3 and 4, the towing warp, (Z, and net rope, (Z lie wholly on one side of the board which swings freely about its single point of attachment to the warp, (Z, and rope, (Z so as automatically to assume the position of minimum resistance.

Improved otter boards as described above may find a wide range of application in connection with different forms of nets and trawling gear, and are particularly adapted for use when arranged at a. considerable distance forward of the mouth of the net.

having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An otter board having a protuberant surface on that side to which the towing warp is attached and a concavity on the other side in the neighborhood of the tail.

2. An otter board having a convex surface on that side to which the towing warp is attached and a concavity on the other side in the neighborhood of the tail.

3. The combination of an otter board a towing warp and a net rope, said warp and said rope being in contacting association with said board solely at the single point of said board to which said warp and said rope are jointly attached.

4:. The combination of an otter board and a towing warp and a net rope jointly at-' tached to a single point of said board and opera-tively disposed wholly on one side thereof.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN FRANCIS HARVEY TEMPLER. 

